SW Washington fishing report

SW Washington – The Cowlitz has slowed for steelhead but may provide some late season opportunity later this month.

Other district streams are recovering but only offering limited success for anglers willing to work for their quarry. The Kalama did put out a few fish over the weekend and the East Fork of the Lewis should start to produce some larger fish in the next few weeks.

Smelt have showed up in force in the Cowlitz River but no sport or commercial harvest is allowed. This return often sparks good sturgeon fishing in the lower reaches but since anglers may not use fresh smelt, success will be limited. Several years of strong returns are necessary for federal restrictions to be lifted.

Soapbox Update: The Association of NW Steelheaders is doing wonderful work here in Oregon and Washington. Take advantage of the offer below and contribute to the organization that’s working hard on behalf of the NW angler. Then, go to the Association of NW Steelheaders home page and see what else you can do to become a better sportsman or sportswoman. Go to: http://www.nwsteelheaders.org/

Be sure and bring your knife to the Sportsman Show Feb 8-12 at the Portland Expo Center. Kershaw is doing a knife sharpening and is donating the proceeds to the Steelheaders. Cost is $3 per knife and 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Steelheaders. The knife sharpening is happening at the Fred Meyer booth. Stay sharp and give back to the resource!